Plasticene is an alternative term for Anthropocene, the proposed epoch that follows the Holocene and designates the beginning of significant human impact on Earth. While this moniker carries numerous implications across a range of disciplines, the scholarship of this thesis project is motivated by the creation and exhibition of a body of work that investigates the materiality and physical presence of technological convenience. Plasticene is an exhibition of four looping, digital video animations alongside two interactive sculptural installations. The video-based pieces are explorations into the medium of digital video and how it functions as a carrier of visual information. They were created through iterative manipulations of how that information is digitally compressed, organized, archived, and revealed. The sculptural works are attempts to amplify the physical presence of technologies that can often be hard to see. They were built to perform simple gestures and rely on engaging multiple senses to call into question the routine way in which we interact with different technological devices. This paper examines the essay "The Question Concerning Technology" by Martin Heidegger as a philosophical influence for this investigation before discussing several works by other artists to frame the works in Plasticene within a contemporary context. The individual works from the exhibition are then discussed with regard to their intention, conceptual motivation, and the process of their creation. / Master of Fine Arts / Plasticene is an alternative term for Anthropocene, the proposed epoch that follows the Holocene and designates the beginning of significant human impact on Earth. While this moniker carries numerous implications across a range of disciplines, the scholarship of this thesis project is motivated by the creation and exhibition of a body of work that investigates the materiality and physical presence of technological convenience. Plasticene is an exhibition of four looping, digital video animations alongside two interactive sculptural installations. The video-based pieces are explorations into the medium of digital video and how it functions as a carrier of visual information. They were created through iterative manipulations of how that information is digitally compressed, organized, archived, and revealed. The sculptural works amplify the physical presence of technologies that can often be hard to see. They perform visually and aurally engaging gestures that prompt viewers to reconsider the routine way in which we interact with different technological devices.

Baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjamas universalumo fenomenas architekto meninėje veikloje. Sinkretiška kūryba būdinga įvairių laikotarpių architektams nuo seniausiųjų civilizacijų kultūrų iki šių dienų. Vis dėl to, meistro sąvoka, kuri ne tik Renesanso bet ir ankstesniaisiais laikotarpiais turėjo sinkretiško kūrėjo reikšmę, kinta ir siaurėja specializacijos bei fragmentacijos reiškinių skaidomoje visuomenėje. Gilesnis šios temos tyrimas ir aktualizavimas pasaulio ir Lietuvos architektų kūrybos kontekste reikalingas norint pabrėžti sinkretiškumo svarbą architekto veikloje. Šis akcentas svarbus ne tik formuojant architektūros ir meno objektus, bet ir įprasminant platesnes šiandienos kultūrines, socialines bei gamtines-ekologines aktualijas. Pirmajame darbo skyriuje – „Renesanso žmogus” – universalaus tipo kūrėjas“ – analizuojamos prielaidos ir istorinė patirtis, kurioje iškyla universalaus kūrėjo-architekto figūra. Nagrinėjama pati „universalaus kūrėjo“ samprata, jos genezė, raida bei aktualumas. Tyrinėjami „meistro“ ir „talento“ apibrėžimai, jų tarpusavio priklausomybė, ryšys bei sąsajos su sinkretiško kūrėjo paveikslu. Antrajame skyriuje – „Architekto kūrybinio universalumo priežastingumai“ – apžvelgiami kontekstualūs (politiniai-ekonominiai, kultūriniai-tradiciniai, religiniai) aspektai, formuojantys sinkretiškos architektų raiškos poreikį. Trečiajame skyriuje – „sinkretiškumo fenomeno raiškos formos“ – nagrinėjamos ir tipologizuojamos universaliõs architektų kūrybos sritys... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The phenomenon of universality in the architect‘s creative activity is examined in the MA Thesis. Syncretism in the artistic expression is a characteristic feature of an architect from the earliest cultures up to the contemporary times. Nevertheless, the concept of a Master which not only in the Renaissance epoch, but also in the earlier historic periods had the meaning of a universal artist, has changed radically due to the processes of fragmentation and specialization in the society. A deeper research in the topic and its actualization is required to accent the importance of universality in the architect‘s activity while forming the objects of art and architecture as well as addressing the contemporary contextual cultural, social and ecological issues. The historical origins of the phenomenon of universality in the architect‘s creative activity are studied in the first chapter. The notions of the „Universal artist“, „Master“ and „Talent“ as well as their historical interpretations and relevance are analysed. Contextual political-econimic, cultural-traditional and religious aspects of the phenomenon of universality in the architect‘s creative activity are analysed in the second chapter. Various fields of the architects‘ universal creative activity are studied in the third chapter. First of all, the traditional forms of the universal artistic expression are analysed. Secondly, the change of concepts of creativity and art in the beginning of the modern era are examined... [to full text]

This thesis is an overview of the source material, methodologies, artistic influences, and conceptual decisions that inform my artwork and characterize my art practice. Utilizing participation (audience, community, viewer), I engineer experiences and encounters for the general public. Whether through directed physical interaction or implicit reaction, I create open-ended situations or environments that I may influence, but not fully control. The democratic cede of authorial control, as well as the heightened risk and unpredictably in my work, instigates a more positive, non-hierarchical social model in which every viewer is an “author,” who produces content and communication signals, and has a voice and a presence in society.

This thesis consists of the production of an inter-active computer-based artwork, an analysis of its research outcomes, and an exploration of the theoretical issues that influenced the artistic practice. The artwork, Postcard from Tunis, is an Integrationist exploration of writing and its transformation at the human-computer interface. It is set in a personal portrait of Tunis, a city with a rich history of writing. The thesis starts with the theory of writing. The conventional view of real writing as representation of speech is shown to have serious limitations.Postcard from Tunis offers users who are not Arabic-literate the perception that there are actually no fixed boundaries between writing and pictures, as both are based on spatial configurations. User interaction with Postcard from Tunis, particularly rollover activity, creates a variety of dynamic signs that cannot be theorised by a bipartate theory of signs and that transcend a distinction between the verbal and the non-verbal altogether. Postcard from Tunis both extends Integrationist theory into writing and human-computer interaction and also uniquely articulates this integration of activities in a way that is impossible with written words on paper. The research asserts the validity of the Integrationist theory of writing, language and human communication and of uncoupling these from spoken words. A framework is outlined for future Integrationist research into icons and human-computer interaction. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Many disciplines spend considerable resources studying behavior. Tools range from pen-and-paper observation to biometric sensing. A tool's appropriateness depends on the goal and justification of the study, the observable context and feature set of target behaviors, the observers' resources, and the subjects' tolerance to intrusiveness. We present two systems: Viz-A-Vis and Tableau Machine. Viz-A-Vis is an analytical tool appropriate for onsite, continuous, wide-coverage and long-term capture, and for objective, contextual, and detailed analysis of the physical actions of subjects who consent to overhead video observation. Tableau Machine is a creative artifact for the home. It is a long-lasting, continuous, interactive, and abstract Art installation that captures overhead video and visualizes activity to open opportunities for creative interpretation. We focus on overhead video observation because it affords a near one-to-one correspondence between pixels and floor plan locations, naturally framing the activity in its spatial context. Viz-A-Vis is an information visualization interface that renders and manipulates computer vision abstractions. It visualizes the hidden structure of behavior in its spatiotemporal context. We demonstrate the practicality of this approach through two user studies. In the first user study, we show an important search performance boost when compared against standard video playback and against the video cube. Furthermore, we determine a unanimous user choice for overviewing and searching with Viz-A-Vis. In the second study, a domain expert evaluation, we validate a number of real discoveries of insightful environmental behavior patterns by a group of senior architects using Viz-A-Vis. Furthermore, we determine clear influences of Viz-A-Vis over the resulting architectural designs in the study. Tableau Machine is a sensing, interpreting, and painting artificial intelligence. It is an Art installation with a model of perception and personality that continuously and enduringly engages its co-occupants in the home, creating an aura of presence. It perceives the environment through overhead cameras, interprets its perceptions with computational models of behavior, maps its interpretations to generative abstract visual compositions, and renders its compositions through paintings. We validate the goal of opening a space for creative interpretation through a study that included three long-term deployments in real family homes.

The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story. / Master of Arts

The Seven Valleys is an interactive 3D installation based artwork inspired by mystical writings of the Bahá'í Faith. Created as a modification of the firstperson shooter Unreal Tournament 2003 (Epic, 2003) it subverts the original paradigm of the game to create an experience of the numinous, which in spirit, is diametrically opposed to the original intent of the gameplay design. This artwork presents an exploration of, and allusion to, the often subtle and illusive concepts found in the sacred treatise The Seven Valleys (Bahá'u'lláh, 1991) in which the user engages in an experiential journey through the work. The user is faced with conditions and situations that provide motivation to question, explore and attempt to fathom the abstract sense of the numinous. Each of The Seven Valleys contains its own individual mysteries while at the same time contributing its part to the telling of a collective story. / Master of Arts

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2003. / "Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Communication, Design and Media, University of Western Sydney, 31 August 2003" Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M. S.)--Literature, Communication, and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Mazalek, Ali; Committee Member: Bolter, Jay David; Committee Member: Do, Ellen Yi-Luen; Committee Member: Nitsche, Michael; Committee Member: Winegarden, Claudia R.

Ce travail se positionne dans le domaine de l'interactivité sensorielle, de la 3D temps réel et des arts visuels. Cette étude artistique et technique s’inscrit directement dans une recherche entamée depuis des années, sur la question de la représentation sublimée de la mort, qui se retrouve pleinement transfiguré dans l’emblème de la Vanité et sur la recherche de nouvelles façons d’entretenir un dialogue en rétroaction avec l’œuvre. Sur le point artistique, la recherche analyse le processus de création, qui a mené de la représentation sublimée de la mort en vidéo, à la réalisation et l’expérimentation de Vanité au sein de tableaux virtuels interactifs et immersifs. Cette analyse apporte des réponses aux questionnements envers la signification des intentions liées à la création et l’utilisation de Vanité en 3D dans des installations conversationnelles. Elle met en lumière les enjeux de ce procédé innovant par rapport à l’histoire de la Vanité depuis son apparition. Elle en approfondit le contenu en développant une démarche significative, sur la relation entre l’œuvre et le spectateur, par l’utilisation d’interface sensorielle comme support de dialogue. Sur le plan technique, l’étude porte sur l’utilisation d’une interface BCI (Brain computer interface) afin d’apporter une nouvelle façon d’appréhender et de dialoguer avec l’œuvre, dans le cadre d’un processus de rétroaction. Il en émane une interactivité où se mêlent la concentration et la méditation. Par le contrôle des ondes cérébrales et des contractions musculaires, le corps et l’esprit doivent se rejoindre, pour accéder à la maîtrise de l’interface BCI. / This work is about sensory interactivity, real-time 3D and visual arts. This artistic and technical study falls within a long-term research, introducing the notion of an enhanced representation of Death, embodied by the Vanitas and exploring new ways of inducing feedback about a work of art.From an artistic point of view, this research analyses the creation process which led us from the enhanced representation of Death on video, to the experience of the Vanitas through a total immersion into virtual pictures. This analysis brings out the motives for the creation and the use of 3D Vanitases in interactive installations. It highlights the issues raised by this innovative process regarding the History of the Vanitas since its outbreak. It goes further, by developing an original approach, to the communication between the audience and the work of art, introducing the use of a sensorial interface as a medium.At the technical level, the study revolves around the use of a Brain Computer Interface (BCI), inducing a new way of discovering and interacting with a work of art, as part of a feedback process. It creates a sense of interactivity, between concentration and meditation. The control of the brainwaves and muscular contractions brings the Body and the Mind together to achieve the mastery of the BCI